Variable-speed mechanism.



No. 725,899. 7 ,PATBNTED APR. 21, 11903. 'F. J. WATT.

VARIABLE SPEED MECHANISM. APPLIUATION FILED JULY 9, 1902.

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UNiTED STAT-Es LATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. WATT, OF PORT HURON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO ROY E.

HARDY, OF PORT HURON, MIOHIGAN..

VARIABLE-SPEED MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 725,899, dated April 21, 1903.

Application filed July 9, 1902. Serial No. 114,867. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK J. WATT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Port Huron, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improved mechanism for transmitting power at variable rates of speed under control of the operator from a driving-shaft rotatable at a uniform rate of speed; and its object is to provide a simple, compact, and efiective device so constructed that the driven member may be actuated by the continuously-rotating driving-member at any rate of speed within a wide range or it may be disconnected therefrom to allow the driving member to run free.

To this end the invention consists in providing two disks having opposing curved faces, one disk secured upon the driving-shaft, which is continuously rotated by any suitable motor at a uniform speed, and the other rigidly secured to a suitable frame, and between these disks interposing conical rolls mounted upon spindles extending radially from a rotative and longitudinally-movable sleeve on the shaft, said spindles being pivotally attached at one end to said sleeve, so that the rolls may be moved laterally to change their points of contact with the disks.

The invention also consists in providing suitable mechanism for shifting the rolls and means for moving one of the disks toward the other to bind the rolls between them and in the particular arrangement and combination of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an edge elevation of a device embodying my invention with the parts broken away to show the construction; Fig. 2, an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1 with parts broken away for a like purpose, and Fig. 3 a view looking down upon the tops of Figs. 1 and 2 and also having parts broken away.

As shown. in the drawings, 1 is the main driving-shaft, which is continuously rotated by any suitable motor, and keyed on this shaft is adisk 2, having a contactface 3,which is curved from the shaft outward to its periphery. Opposed to the disk 2 is a disk 4, having a similarly-curved contact-face,which disk is supported upon a ring 5, secured to the supporting-frame (not shown) by lugs 6, and interposed betweenthe disk and ring is a loose ring 7, provided with inclines 8 to engage similar inclines in the ring 5, so that when said ring 7 is turned by its operating lever 9 the inclines on the loose ring will move up the inclines on the stationary ring and force the disk 4 toward the disk 2. On the shaft 1 is a sleeve 10, and interposed between the said disks are two conical rolls 11,1nounted upon spindles 12, which spindles extend radially out from and are pivot-ally secured at one end to the sleeve 10 by being provided with projecting ends which engage openings in the rounded hollow bosses 13 on said sleeve and at their opposite ends are reduced to engage openings in the transverse pins 14, journalcd in the lugs 15 on the ring or band 16. The rolls are therefore free to rotate on their spindles and at the same time may be moved longitudinally of the shaft 1 or inclined in that direction.

The rolls 11 are inclined by moving the band 16 in a direction longitudinally of the shaft, said band being actuated byrthe levers 17, which are pivoted at their outer ends to the lugs 18 on said band and extending inward are pivoted at 19 intermediate their ends to the arms 20, which extend outward from the sleeve 10 at opposite sides thereof. To the inner ends of the levers 17 are pivotally attached the connecting-bars 21, which are pivotally secured at their opposite ends to a sleeve 22, secured by a spline 23 to a reduced portion of the sleeve 10 to rotate therewith, and a forked lever 24 for moving the sleeve 22 is pivoted thereto by being provided with openings engaging trunnions 25 on the ring 27, which ring engages a groove in said sleeve.

28 is a sprocket-wheel secured to the sleeve 11 to turn therewith and provided with openings for the passage of the connecting-bars 21.

When the parts are in the position shown in the drawings, the disk 2 is rotated by the shaft 1 without afiecting the other parts; but

when the operator turns the loose ring 7 by means of the lever 9 the disk 4 is forced into contact with the rolls 11, which move over, moving the sleeve 10 longitudinally on the shaft and carrying the band 16 over until the rolls are firmly clamped between the disks, and motion is imparted to said rolls from the continually-revolving disk 2, causing them to revolve and roll upon the contact-face of the stationary disk 4 around the shaft, and thus revolve the sleeve 10 and its attached sprocket-wheel 28.

When the roll-spindles 12 are extended radially outward at right angles to the shaft, the rolls will be contacted at an equaldistance from the base by each of the disks and the sprocket-wheel driven at a certain rate of speed; but if the operator desires to increase or diminish the speed of the sprocket without changing the speed of the driving-shaft the roll-spindles are inclined at an angle to the shaft, thus changing the relative points at which the disks will contact the rolls-as, for instance, if he desires to increase the speed of the sprocket he will by moving the lever 23 incline the rolls so that they will contact the disk 2 nearer its periphery and be engaged by it nearer their outer or smaller ends, so that one revolution of the disk will turn the rolls a greater number of turns, and at the same time the point of contact with the disk 4 will be shifted toward the larger ends of the rolls and nearer the axis of the disk, thus requiring fewer turns of the rolls to cause them to travel once around the face of the disk.

Plain rolls may be used instead of the ones shown; but I prefer to use conical rolls, as they give a wider range of speed, the rate of speed increasing or decreasing in proportion to the relative distance from their periphery at which the two disks are contacted by the rolls and the relative diameters of the rolls at their points of contact with the disks. By this construction an extended Wearing-surface is also obtained, as the point of contact is constantly beingchanged along the whole surface of both disks and rolls.

This device is especially adapted for use in connection with gasolene-engines in automobile construction; but it may be used whereever it is desired to drive mechanism from a constantly-revolving shaft at a variable rate and to disconnect therefrom.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Inavariable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving member, of an opposing stationary member, rolls interposed between said members and means for changing the direction in which said rolls extend to vary the relative points of contact between the rolls and the driving memberand the rolls and the stationary member.

2. In a variable-speed mechanism, in combination, a driving member having a curved contact-face, an opposing stationary member having a similarly-curved contact-face, rolls interposed between said members and adapted to contact the faces, and means for changing the direction in which the rolls extend.

3. In avariable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving member and an opposing member; of a driven member, coneshaped rolls attached to said driven member to rotate the same, and means for moving said rolls to change the speed of the driven member.

4:. In a variable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving-disk and an opposing disk, of a driven member, spindles extending radially outward from said member and pivotally attached thereto, a band supporting the outer ends of the spindles, rolls on said spindles, and means for moving the band to change the direction in which the rolls extend.

5. In a variable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving-disk; of an opposing disk, rolls interposed between the disks, movable supports for the ends of said rolls, and means for moving the opposing disk into contact with the rolls and forcing said rolls against the driving-disk.

6. In a variable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving-disk, of an opposing disk, a fixed ring to support the opposing disk and provided with inclines, rolls interposed between the said disks, movable supports for the ends of said rolls, and a ring having inclines engaging the inclines on the supporting-ring and adapted to be turned to move the opposing disk and clamp the rolls between said disks.

7. In a variable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving-disk, of an opposing disk, means for supporting and moving the opposing disk toward the driving disk, a driven member longitudinally movable in the axis of the opposing disk, spindles pivotally secured at one end to said member and extending radially outward therefrom, a band to pivotally support the outer ends of the spindles, rolls on said spindles, and means for moving said band to change the direction in which the rolls extend.

8. In a variable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving-shaft; of aalrivingdisk secured on said shaft, a stationary disk axially in line with the driving-disk, a rotatable and longitudinally-movable sleeve on said shaft, spindles pivotally attached at one end to said sleeve, a band pivotally secured to the opposite ends of said spindles, rolls on the spindles between the disks, arms extend ing outward from the sleeve, levers pivoted to the band at their outer ends and to said arms intermediate their ends and means for operating said levers to move the bands and incline the rolls in a direction longitudinally of the shaft.

9. In a variable-speed mechanism, the combination with a driving-shaft; of a drivingdisk secured thereon and having a contactface curved from the shaft outward to its pe- IIO riphery,a fixed ringhavin g inclines,a disk having a similarly-curved face opposing the driving-disk and supported by said ring, a loose ring having inclines engaging the inclines on the supporting-ring, a lever to operate said loose ring, a sleeve rotatable and longitudinally movable on the driving-shaft, hollow bosses having openings on said sleeve, spindles having ends engaging the openings in the bosses, a band, lugs on said band having openings, pins having openings to receive the outer ends of said spindles journaled in the openings in said lugs, arms on said sleeve, levers pivoted to said band at theirouter ends In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. WATT;

Witnesses:

JOHN FITZPATRIOK, NELLE A. KENT. 

